


Worst Things in the World are Justified

by KenmaNyan (NarryEm)



Series: DRAMAtical Murder Short Stories by EmilyY [15]
Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blood and Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Frottage, Graphic Description of Corpses, Growing Up, M/M, Mating Bond, Minor Character Death, Rimming, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-12 20:54:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3354959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NarryEm/pseuds/KenmaNyan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aoba is on his way home from his part time job when he sees a dark lump of something crouched in the street corner.  When he finds out what (or rather <i>who</i>) it is, he can’t abandon the little guy.  Which is <i>exactly</i> how he came about raising a werewolf pup.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worst Things in the World are Justified

**Author's Note:**

> Title from “Raised by Wolves” by U2.
> 
> So this is the second growing up AU that I’ve written in this fandom and like I’ve said in the NoiAo one, I love me some growing up AU’s. 
> 
> Just in case you didn’t read through the tags, there will be several mentions/descriptions of death and genocide throughout the story so if that is a trigger for you, PLEASE _leave **now ******_.  
>  Also, Aoba will be referencing Ren as a pup or a wolf frequently throughout the story so if that extent of dehumanization offends you, don’t say I didn’t say I didn’t warn ya~♬

 

Aoba yawns, stretching his arms out as well. It’s been a long day and for once, work was pretty busy and he had to answer a bunch of phone calls as well as deal with customers in-store. He’s got to start applying for college soon, so he won’t be getting much sleep _if_ he remembers to look into colleges on mainland and stuff. Besides, Granny will be having a field day if she discovers that Aoba is planning on putting off college for another year.

He is about a block from his house when a small, almost undetectable sound catches his attention. It came from a dark, unlit alleyway but against his better judgment, Aoba decides to go check it out. If it comes to the worst-case scenario, he knows a bit of self-defence and stuff so yeah.

What he finds is a small, trembling figure crouched at the corner of the filthy street. It’s a back alleyway, littered with junk and it smells pretty rank too. Repressing the urge to turn around and go home, Aoba approaches the small thing slowly.

In the next split second, he finds himself flattened onto the ground, pinned to it by the same figure he’d been looking at a moment earlier. Round, glowing amber eyes glare at him with fear and Aoba tries to think calm, soothing thoughts. It takes a while for Aoba’s human eyes to adjust to the dark and when he can finally see, he can’t help but gasp loudly.

On top of him is a small boy with dark hair and . . . furry wolf-like ears? Surely enough, when Aoba twists around to see further back, there is a large fluffy tail on this boy’s rear as well. His petit frame is covered by a poncho that seems to go down to his ankles and he is barefoot.

Before Aoba can do or say something, the little boy burrows his face into Aoba’s neck and bites down onto the pulse. Aoba yelps and he grabs the little boy by his waist and picks him up and away from his body. He struggles to sit and when he does, gently places the wolf-boy on the ground next to him and frowns as he brings his hand up to where the wolf-boy bit him. His hand comes away wet and warm, so he supposes that the toddler bit him.

A werewolf. A fucking werewolf.

Midorijima has an urban legend about a pack of werewolves that supposedly live up in the forest beyond the North District but Aoba has always thought that it was a stupid story meant to keep the kids from wandering into the woods. He’s never thought that he’s see one of the ‘savage, bloodthirsty creatures’ in real life.

He picks up the little pup again and carries him to the nearest lamppost. The pup seems to be docile at the moment, on the verge of falling asleep. He’s damn adorable, really. Aside from the trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, symmetrical sapphire blue tribal markings on his cheeks, his glowing amber eyes, wolf-like ears atop his head and the bushy, fluffy tail, the pup looks like any other toddler. The poncho-like clothing seems to be made out of some animal hide and dyed various colours.

Aoba can’t just leave him here. Winter is coming; this little guy will die on his own if left alone on the streets! Determined to help this small creature somehow, he readjusts the boy in his arms so that he is more comfortable and resumes walking home.

 

 

-

 

 

Granny wasn’t too mad when she saw the werewolf pup bundled up in Aoba’s arms. She told him that the kid would be his responsibility and that this was not to be taken lightly but other than that, she seemed to be okay with Aoba pretty much raising a werewolf kid. The pup was soundly asleep by the time Aoba carefully put in on the centre of the bed on his side. His oversized, bushy tail twitched occasionally and he would let out this quiet barks that was decidedly animalistic rather than a human throat mimicking a dog’s bark. Aoba removes the dirty poncho from the pup and throws it in his laundry basket and covers him with a clean towel instead. He then tucks the pup in under the covers before he goes to the bathroom to take a quick bath.

As he waits for the tub to fill up with steaming, hot water, he examines the wound on his neck. It’s not nasty or anything. Just a shallow wound on the skin over his carotid artery that should heal within the week. Blood has stopped oozing out of the bite mark and to be honest, it already looks days old as opposed to freshly bitten. He wipes it with an alcohol sterilization sheet and then slowly climbs into the tub.

He closes his eyes and lets his body go lax in the hot water. Okay, so it was pretty stupid of him to pick up a stray werewolf pup and bring him into his house, a house occupied by only his Granny and himself. Aoba’s only nineteen, and the reason he took a couple years off before going off to college was so that he could earn some money and also keep an eye on Granny’s health. With this werewolf in his life, he probably can’t go off to college for another couple years at least—not that he’s upset over it. He’s never been that good at school anyway.

Immersed in thoughts and doubts, Aoba doesn’t hear the bathroom door creak open. Nor does he see the small pup sneaking up on him unintentionally and climbing into the tub with him. Aoba jumps in surprised when he feels someone’s small weight on his lap and when he re-opens his eyes, they open to the sight of a pair of tender amber eyes. They are sleepy yet so focused on Aoba’s butterscotch brown eyes.

“Hey, what are you doing here, kid?” Aoba blurts out loudly.

The pup’s ears droop, his tail dropping as well. He lets out a whinging whimper, which softens up Aoba’s expression immediately.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you. Let’s get you cleaned up while you’re here, yeah?” he prompts, placing him hands under the werewolf’s armpits. The little boy cocks his head just like a confused little puppy would. Laughing, Aoba sets him down next on the tiled floor next to the tub and climbs out of the tub as well. He takes the showerhead from the wall and sets the warm to a warm temperature that should be feel comfortable on anyone and sprays the water all over the werewolf. The little boy looks happy, at least, to be doused with warm water. Not so much when Aoba starts to put shampoo on his fluffy, matted hair but still. Aoba is mindful of the large wolf-like ears as he works to detangle the dark blue-black hair and carefully washes the outside of the ears as well.

Now that the pup’s hair is clean and smells of Aoba’s favourite shampoo, he moves on to the pup’s body. He’s really skinny and pale, almost to the extent of looking unhealthy with his skin appearing to be almost translucent under the glaring lights. Aoba was half-expecting to see more of the tribal markings like the ones on the pup’s cheeks but he finds none. He figures that the facial markings is something that marks the pup special or something. The little boy has started to wag his tail in contentment, its movement vigorous enough to make washing his tail quite the challenge. Aoba tries everything from begging to bribing to cajoling. In the end, he has to sit the pup down on his lap and distract the boy by scratching him behind the wolf-like ears as he washes the bushy tail.

“Okay, all done,” Aoba announces as he rinses the pup’s body a final time. “Now stay here while I wash up, ‘kay?”

The pup nods. So he _can_ understand human language, huh?

After the shower, Aoba wraps up the boy in a towel and brings him back to his own bedroom. He blow-dries his hair and then does the same for the werewolf boy. Or tries. He doesn’t seem so happy about it, choosing to shake the water out of his hair and tail instead—which is so fucking cute, by the way.

“You’ll catch a cold if you go to sleep with wet hair though,” Aoba says firmly.

The pup looks up at him with wide, tender amber eyes. Aoba sighs. “Fine. Wait, I still don’t know your name. Crap. I can’t just call you ‘pup’ in my head all the time. Do you have a name by any chance?”

The little cocks his head in a decidedly puppy-like manner. After a couple moments of silence, he yips out: “Ren.”

Then he yawns loudly and promptly falls asleep.

Aoba shakes his head. He picks up Ren so that he can put Ren’s head on the pillow (covered by a towel) and then lies down on the bed as well. He can wait until tomorrow to ask a few more questions.

 

 

-

 

 

Ren is . . . uncooperative to put it mildly.

Other than to tell Aoba his name, Ren hasn’t spoken another word to Aoba yet. He thought that maybe Ren was scared, so he tried leaving Ren alone in the bedroom for a bit. That worked out spectacularly as the younger boy started to wail and howl the instant Aoba shut the door behind him. He had to come running back and hug Ren until the howling petered out into soft sobs. It’s exhausting as hell, taking care of a small kid. Actually, Aoba hasn’t the faintest clue how old Ren really is. All of his knowledge of werewolves comes from the urban legend and shitty films so yeah, not very helpful.

“How old are you, Ren?” Aoba asks gently, preparing them some late breakfast. He doesn’t know what kind of food Ren likes, so he settles for omelettes with some bacon and ham in it. He figures that Ren would like meat.

Ren pouts, obviously too hungry to care for Aoba’s question. The older male sighs. “If you answer me, I’ll give you food.” Okay, so maybe it’s really mean of him to withhold food for information but he’s getting real desperate. Plus, it wasn’t quite fair of Ren to bite him on the neck, so there’s that.

“Three,” Ren squeaks out, “Food!”

Aoba tries to hide his surprise and does a decent job for the most part. He turns off the stove and transfers the not-half-bad omelettes into two plates. He places one of them in front of Ren and then one in front of him. He’s sat down next to Ren so that he can feed the little boy. Three, huh? He’s suspected that Ren was around the age of five to seven but maybe werewolves grow at a different rate than humans?

He forks up some of the omelette and brings it to Ren’s mouth. Ren looks confused and he instead grabs the bit of food with both his hands and pops it into his mouth. He doesn’t seem to mind the still-hot temperature as he wolfs it down—pun fully intended.

“You’re supposed to use the—never mind,” Aoba cuts himself off. He’s not gonna try to teach Ren to use tableware, not this early in the day. He focuses on eating his own breakfast, grateful for the extra-strong coffee that is brewing in the coffee pot behind them.

He is, however, pleasantly surprised to see Ren picking up a fork. It appears that Ren is trying to copy Aoba’s movements. Something warm and fuzzy, akin to happiness, blooms in his heart. Is this how parents feel when their child accomplish great things? Aoba sure feels that way. He _is_ proud of Ren and himself that Ren is sort of learning how to use a fork.

“Good boy,’ Aoba blurts out, ruffling the hair behind Ren’s ears. Ren leans his head back so that Aoba’s hand is directly on his ear, so Aoba scratches the pointy ear instead. Ren’s tail speeds up in its wagging, almost enough to cause the chair to rock backwards a tiny degree.

Other than the initial excitement, breakfast is an otherwise uneventful affair. Aoba doesn’t have to work today so he decides to spend the day trying to get Ren to talk more about himself. He starts off by washing Ren’s poncho and dressing him in an old t-shirt that is two sizes too small for himself. On Ren, though, the tee shirt looks like a short dress thing some girls wear.

“This is a t-shirt,” Aoba explains as he rifles through his drawers for a pair of boxers. Granted, the waistband would be like a dozen sizes too big for Ren but if Aoba tied some cloth around Ren’s waist, the makeshift trousers would hold. He’s planning to order some clothes for Ren to wear online later in the day, or even go shopping with Ren once darkness falls. “You normally wear it to cover your torso but since I haven’t a pair of trousers that can fit you, this’ll do nicely.”

“T-shirt,” Ren repeats, enunciating each syllable as if to taste the words rolling around in the cute little mouth of his. He grins, flashing his tiny but prominent fangs. “T-shirt!” Ren exclaims, pointing at Aoba’s ratty black t-shirt.

“Good! You’re a fast learner, ain’t ya? My name is Aoba. And yours is Ren, yeah?”

Ren nods enthusiastically. He points to Aoba. “Ow-ba.” He then points at himself. “Ren!”

Aoba chuckles. Okay, so maybe three-syllabled word are too advanced for the little pup. “It’s A-o-ba,” Aoba tries again.

“Ow-ba,” Ren repeats.

Aoba shakes his head in exasperation. It’s fine. He’ll probably be able to teach Ren how to say his name properly as he learns more and more.

 

 

-

 

 

Night has fallen and Aoba is trying is damnedest to pull a beanie over Ren’s head so they can head out.

“But, Ren,” Aoba says in the most patient tone he can muster, “we can’t let the other people see your ears because I don’t know how they’ll react.”

Ren makes a whining sound, lips jutting out to form a cute little pout. “Ears tight,” he mumbles. Aoba guesses that Ren is attempting to tell him that the hat is tight around his ears.

“Alright. How about we try something else?” he digs into the pile of clothes he used to wear as a kid. He spent a good chunk of the afternoon going through the stuff in the storage room to find clothes Ren could wear while they wait for the ordered clothes to arrive. The poncho washed up and stuff but Aoba wants to dress Ren in normal clothes to raise less suspicions. He smiles triumphantly when he finds the coat that he used to wear all the time as a kid. Ren has come up behind him, nose twitching as he sniffs at the coat. Aoba puts the coat on Ren and even though it’s two sizes too large on Ren, it’ll have to do.

“Okay, let’s go,” Aoba holds his hand out towards Ren. Ren stares at it for a moment before he grasps it, his little hand completely enveloped by Aoba’s.

Aoba leads Ren out the house and to the Southern District. Even though it’s the middle of the night, the streets are full of people and very lively. If Aoba looks closely enough, he can see Ren’s ears flicking back and forth underneath the hood, attentive and picking up the sounds that Aoba himself can’t hear. Aoba goes into the first children’s clothing shop that he sees and spends less than half an hour picking out clothes for Ren. Ren doesn’t seem to have much of a preference as to what he wants to wear so Aoba sticks to neutral colours.

“That wasn’t too bad, was it?” Aoba asks, half-rhetorical.

“No,” Ren replies. He looks up at Aoba and opens his arms as if asking for Aoba to pick him up. Aoba obliges gladly even though he has to juggle the shopping bags and Ren all at the same time. “No killing. No blood. Good.”

A chill runs down Aoba’s spine. Just what had happened to Ren before Aoba found him?

He doesn’t ask the thousand questions brewing in his head, not until he is back home in the Eastern District. Granny is back from her work and greets both of them briskly in her typical manner. Thankfully, Aoba didn’t forget to lock the front door otherwise he would have gotten an earful.

“I thought you were going to order clothes for him online,” Granny comments, eyes trained on the shopping bags Aoba is carrying. Halfway home, Ren had nimbly leapt out of Aoba’s arms and then walked by himself. Aoba has already noticed that Ren is pretty impatient like most kids his age.

“I did, but I thought I’d buy him a couple outfits since the clothes won’t be arriving for at least three days.” He shrugs.

“Alright. There’s some doughnuts on the table if you want.”

Aoba laughs. “I can never say no to your doughnuts, Granny, you know that.”

He sits down at the table and seats Ren on his lap. “Ren, this is a doughnut. It’s really sweet but also hot at the moment so wait for it too cool, okay?”

Ren nods, his eyes fixated on the sweets. They smell as delicious as always and Aoba chuckles as he wipes the drool off Ren’s chin. He hasn’t forgotten all the questions he needs answered but they can wait until after this little late night snack.

The little werewolf boy chows down half of what Granny has made, much to her delight. She mumbles about how Ren at least has good tastes. Aoba then gently sets Ren on the floor before going upstairs, Ren walking closely by his side. Aoba wonders if Ren now sees him as a parental figure. He doesn’t really know much about werewolves or even regular wolves so this has all been nothing less than confusing.

As soon as they reach the top of the stairs, Ren speeds off to Aoba’s room and jumps into the bed, the oversized shoes still on his feet.

“No, Ren. You can’t be on the bed with your shoes still on,” Aoba reprimands him firmly. He pulls the hood down before reaching down to undo the buckles on the shoes—the ones that Aoba used to wear as a kid that a couple sizes too big on Ren. Ren’s ears move around restlessly as though they are basking in the freedom they now have. Aoba can’t blame him—he’s felt terrible about having to hide Ren’s true nature but there is no telling of how people in Midorijima will react when they learn that werewolves are not just urban legend stories to scare the kids away from wandering into the forests.

Ren yawns widely, his pointy fangs on full display as he does so. He brings his small fists up to his eyes to rub at the sluggishly.

“Ren,” Aoba says gently. Ren’s ears perk up, his eyes wide and curious on Aoba. “I need to know some things, and you’re going to have to answer me in words. Can you do that for me, please?”

“No. Sleepy,” Ren says petulantly. Well, at least Ren said that so that’s a start.

“Aren’t werewolves supposed to be nocturnal?” Aoba mumbles to himself.

“Noct-urn-al?” Ren repeats slowly, surprising Aoba with the accuracy of his pronunciation.

“It means that someone likes to stay awake during the night, when the moon is up in the sky.”

“Aoba sleep night,” Ren says quizzically. Aoba hasn’t got much experience deciphering toddler speak so it takes him few moments to fill in the blank.

“You mean I sleep at night?” he asks. Ren nods. “And you want to sleep at the same time that I do?” Another nod.

“Lonely. Sad,” Ren slurs, his eyelids drooping. He blinks slowly until, eventually, they remain shut.

Aoba sighs quietly. The answers can wait until the morning. He just hates having this ominous, heavy feeling in his gut. It’s almost as though he _knows_ that something bad happened to Ren’s family, and that’s how Aoba discovered Ren.

He hopes that his gut feelings are wrong.

 

 

-

 

 

Aoba groans when the bright morning sun streams in through the gap in the curtains. Stupid veranda and stupid mornings. He stretches out his arms and rolls over to his side, yawning loudly. His stretch is cut short when he hears a soft whimpering sound.

 _Crap!_ Aoba is dragged into complete wakefulness and he looks to where he heard the sound. Thankfully, he didn’t roll over right on top of Ren or anything horrible like that.

But what he is seeing right in this moment is much worse and more heart-wrenching than that.

Ren is tossing and turning in bed, his face scrunched up in that of utmost terror. Tears pour down his face as the soft whimpers from before transition into long howls and broken sobs.

“Ren what’s wrong?’ Aoba tries not to panic as he puts his arms around the toddler. The whimpers quiet down, but only momentarily. And during those short moments, Ren’s eyes snap open. Tender amber eyes seems to _glow_ as they stare into Aoba’s eyes. Aoba is about to ask Ren if he’s had a nightmare when Ren reaches out and touches his palm to Aoba’s cheek.

Aoba’s vision is swallowed up by amber and black, which swirl together until all that remains is a black void.

The black nothingness doesn’t last forever, thank goodness. Its replacement, however, is even more terrifying.

Aoba is stood in the middle of a forest. The night skies are black like a perfect storm and he can’t see much. It has to be the night of new moon or maybe it’s just shitty weather.

A shrill scream slices through the chilled night air and it only adds to Aoba’s ominous feelings about whatever is happening to him. He decides to follow the sound and regrets it instantly.

He has stepped into a small clearing that is occupied by small huts. Or more precisely, pitiful, charred remains of huts and whatever else residential buildings that used to stand here. To add to the grotesque scenery, there are piles of bodies strewn about everywhere. Aoba tries not to take close looks at them but it’s impossible to block them all out. Some of them are fully human, some in the form of wolves, and some are little children in the half-and-half form similar to the form that Aoba grew used to seeing with Ren. He sees people armed with guns running around the small village, rounding up the bodies and shouting amongst themselves. They throw the dead people into a careless pile as though they are nothing more than mere animal carcasses. Blood is pooling beneath the bodies, illuminated by the dying flames in the utmost sinister way. Aoba feels the bile rise to his throat but surprisingly, none of it makes it past the top of his throat.

From the corner of his eye, he sees a small figure dart out from behind an undergrowth. Aoba’s heart sinks; he would recognise that tiny and familiar figure anywhere! Ren sprints away from the site and Aoba runs after the werewolf. He half-expects for some of the murderers to give chase and to his dismay, he is proven right. The murderers run in the direction that Ren disappeared off to and they don’t seem to notice Aoba at all even though Aoba is only a few paces behind Ren.

To Aoba’s relief, Ren’s pursuers aren’t as familiar with the dark woods as Ren is, nor do they have the advantage of a toddler’s body and supernatural agility. As they race through the woods, Aoba is terrified and mournful. No, those aren’t his own emotions; they have to be Ren’s and Aoba is somehow sharing them. The chase seems to stretch out over eternity but eventually, Ren manages to lose his pursuers.

By the end of the chase, Ren has gotten himself far away from the comforts of his home and to the outskirts of an urbanized area, where humans live. The strange smells and sounds scare Ren. He is exhausted but his instincts are telling him to keep moving. The moon is covered by the clouds tonight and Ren is so cold and alone. He’ll never see his tribe again. He’ll never be an alpha like his father was.

Aoba can’t understand why he is having all these thoughts. Could it be that he is in Ren’s head right now? He remembers Ren reaching out and touching his cheek. Maybe it was more of a psychic projection then. That’s his best bet at the moment. Whatever the hell that was, he is still seeing Ren’s memories and feeling everything that was going through Ren’s mind. Despair fills Aoba’s heart and it’s hard for him to conclude if it’s just Ren’s or if there is a bit of his own despair mixed in as well.

Another flash of black and amber swallows up Aoba’s vision and this time, it is accompanied by the sensation of falling, falling, _falling_ . . . .

 

 

-

 

 

Aoba wakes up seriously disoriented and confused, obnoxiously bright amber spots still dancing around in his vision. Ren is sat on his chest, and his amber eyes appear apologetic as he stares into Aoba’s eyes. There are no words to describe the turmoil of emotions rushing through his him, nor is there an apt way to soothe the poor kid. In fact, he can’t even separate his own reactive emotions from the residual emotions from the ones he felt in Ren’s memories. Nonetheless, he has to try, doesn’t he? He didn’t know what he had signed up for by bringing Ren home with him but now he understands his role in Ren’s life better.

He sits up in his bed and cradles Ren to his chest. Ren emits a whimpering sound and Aoba attempts to soothe him by stroking his ears. “Ren,” he starts off in a gentle, quiet tone. “I believe that the worst things that still happen in the world are justified by beliefs, beliefs that are so strongly engrained within this society we live in. In no way does it mean that what those werewolf haters did to your family was right. Hell, it was plainly wrong and disgusting, hating on werewolves based purely on how different you look and behave.

“But the thing is: people in Midorijima really don’t like changes, and that doesn’t always bode well for us as a whole. I know from urban legends that there or generations of one or two families who have devoted their lives to hunting down werewolves. I’m sorry that their target was you and everyone else who lived in the woods. I . . . I want you to understand that even though nothing can change the past—change the fact that your family is dead because of those ignorant jerks—I’ll never be like them.

Tears escape his eyes and instead of hiding them, Aoba moves Ren so that they are looking at each other in the eyes. Ren’s eyes are wet as well, his face tinged pink from sobbing and howling earlier. “I promise that I will protect you no matter what, Ren. In return, please make me one promise.”

Never has Ren looked so unsure and vulnerable as he does right in this moment. His round amber eyes are filled with uncertainty and fear of his past but he surprises Aoba with a nod.

“Please promise me that you won’t go after those bad people. If they find out that you escaped and lived, they won’t just let you go. I care about you, Ren, and I don’t want to lose you. I’d be really sad if I lost you to a fit of fury and vengeance.”

He kisses the tip of one soft, furry ear and waits for Ren to respond in any way. A few heartbeats’ worth of time passes and finally, Ren looks up and says, “Promise.”

 

 

-

 

 

About half a year has passed by and it is clear to Aoba that yeah, werewolf growth rate definitely exceeds that of a human’s.

Ren had claimed to be three when Aoba asked him how old he was. However, a month after their meeting, Aoba noticed that Ren had grown noticeably taller. Afterwards, Aoba kept track of Ren’s height and he was able to confirm that Ren was growing at a steady (albeit unusually rapid) rate. Now, Ren had he physical appearance of a boy in his early teens. The change wasn’t solely in his appearance either.

Aoba was excited to discover that Ren is very clever and eager to learn. After about half a month, Ren could speak at the level of a kindergartener. Then, after about two-month mark, he could speak with nearly flawless grammar and with the vocabulary range of a typical elementary school student. His writing skills were not as good as his speaking skills but that was on par with Aoba’s initial expectations. Of course, Aoba wasn’t the sole teacher that Ren had to rely on. On her days off, Granny would offer to spend an hour or two teaching Ren how to communicate as well as other life skills such as using the house appliances, cooking, and simplified school subjects such as math.

The blue-haired teen honestly loves looking after Ren. Sure, it was massive amounts of work and more responsibility than he has ever had to shoulder, but Ren truly made it all worth it. Ren sees Aoba as both a father figure and as an older figure, Aoba knows that by heart. It means that Aoba has had to learn how to be a parent and he enjoys the added responsibility these days. Ren’s presence has somewhat forced regularity into Aoba’s life and he feels much more like an adult that he did six months ago.

On the days that he has a shift at Heibon, he takes Ren with him because Haga-san has allowed it. (He is so lucky to have an understanding and kind boss like him.) Ren isn’t allowed to help out much with Aoba’s duties at work but the company is what matters more. It’s a good thing that Ren has mastered his control of his shapeshifting because otherwise, Aoba would have had to wrestle hats on his head every time they left their house.

“Aoba,” Ren intones.

“Yes?” Aoba answers, eyes glued to the screen. Doing inventory is one of the least favourite parts of his job description but at least it means that he doesn’t have to deal with annoying customers who can behave like brats.

“Can we go for lunch? Granny mentioned—” Ren clamps his hand over his mouth when his voice breaks in the middle of a word. His amber eyes grow all round and alert with embarrassment. It takes all Aoba has not to burst out laughing at Ren’s reaction.

“It’s okay,” Aoba coos. “Every boy goes through that when he’s your age. Your voice is gonna keep doing that for the next few weeks as your voice deepens and sound all grown-up.”

Ren’s eyes light up at the last word. Aoba can almost see his bushy tail wag.

“Is it gonna hurt?” Ren squeaks out.

Aoba shakes his head. “Not at all. And as for lunch, can you gimme five minutes so I can finish categorizing?”

“Yes!”

Five painfully boring minutes later, Aoba and Ren are walking down the street. As they are about the round the corner that will lead them to the street where their home is at, Ren stops in his tracks and lets out a feral growl. Aoba looks into his eyes and sees that they are glowing faintly even in the broad daylight.

“Ren? What’s wrong?” Try as he might, he can’t stop the panic from creeping into his voice.

Ren bares his teeth, which have sharpened into those belonging to a wolf, and snarls out, “It’s _them_.”

Aoba’s heart drops like lead sinking in water. He grips Ren’s forearm tightly. ‘No, you promised, Ren. You can’t go after them. I don’t want you to get hurt for the sake of revenge!”

Ren snaps his teeth at him and Aoba jumps backwards. Ren’s never done this to him before (well, not unless he counts the night they met when Ren properly bit him). His eyes soften the moment after with shame and remorse but the moment is short-lived. There is a faint echoing of shouts and Ren darts towards it.

“Ren!” Aoba calls out futilely. Cursing their luck, Aoba sprints in the general direction that Ren was headed to and prays that it isn’t too late already.

The scene that he runs into is so reminiscent that he almost gags. The stench of blood is potent in the air and it’s all coming from the men’s blood-drenched clothes. Ren is stood a few feet away from them, eyeing them up wordlessly.

”This ain’t none of your business, kid,” one of them spits out. He has got a rifle slung over his shoulder and Aoba wants nothing more than to grab Ren’s hand and get the hell out of here.

A low growl saturates the air around them. The mere sound of it raises gooseflesh on Aoba’s arms and he can see the men’s face blanking with fear. He swears that he sees the air around Ren ripple and shimmer as he bursts into dazzling shards of light and changes into his wolf form.

“What the fuck?” one of the men yells. His buddy takes aim at the wolf but he’s already too late. His arm is ripped cleanly out of the socket and he begins to scream and wail in pain. The two other men start to run away but Ren is too fast for them, fuelled by rage and sadness and the drive for revenge. In just two pounces, their heads are ripped off their shoulders and rolling on the ground, sticky trails of blood oozing out from their heads and necks. Aoba forces his eyes away from them and that leads him to watch helplessly as the gunman bleeds out to death, his skin going from a healthy colour to pale white, then to ashen.

Aoba can’t handle it anymore. He doubles over and throws up on the ground and tears are squeezed out of the corners of his eyes. He hasn’t eaten since early breakfast so all that comes out is acid that burns his throat and mouth.

He opens his eyes slowly as sees a wolf sat on its haunches by Aoba’s side. It—no, Ren—is so beautiful, is the thing. His fur is a sleek shade of a star-filled sky and his eyes hold the same tenderness that human Ren’s do. The only difference is that his muzzle is saturated with drying blood and there are bodies strewn about on the ground like dolls.

Aoba whirls around and sprints away. He’s . . . he’s a witness to a crime, isn’t he? Or is he even worse, an accomplice? He didn’t stop Ren from attacking those men even though the outcome had been obvious. He didn’t call Ren back from his pursuit and tried to save those men. No. Those men deserved it. They murdered an entire village of people for the sheer fact that they were different. Their deaths were mere punishment for a crime. Retribution.

No, no, no! Murders were murders regardless of reason. Just because Ren’s family were eradicated didn’t mean—Ren had no right to—Ren promised—Ren was—.

“ARGHHHHHHHHH!” Aoba screams. He screams and screams until his lungs burns and his head is no longer full of the thoughts that were running in circles and bumping around everywhere. His legs must have given out because he is kneeling on the ground and it occurs to him that he has ended up in the southern edges of the forest that Ren used to call home.

The trees are packed together closely, the foliage too dense for sunlight to stream through. Despite it being the middle of the day, it’s pretty dark and Aoba can’t see more than ten feet in front of him. The air’s got a chill to it as well and it doesn’t help with Aoba feeling at ease at all.   He’s grown up hearing all sorts of horror stories about the forest; a few months of living with a creature from the same legends wasn’t bound to undo it so easily.

Something rustles behind him and he jumps. He curls his hands into fists and tries to scan for any danger.

The rustling comes again and to Aoba’s relief, it’s only a wolf. A black wolf.

 _No_ , his mind screams at him. _You shouldn’t be trustful of him_. He flashes back to a few minutes ago when he saw Ren kill three grown men.

 _He’s an animal,_ his mind reminds him.

He’s not, though. Ren is just as human as him and his actions have proved that, as twisted and morbid as they may be. Humans fixate on revenge, not heartless animals.

The wolf whimpers and trots over to Aoba and looks at him with sadness shining in his eyes. He howls pitifully and Aoba wants to reach out at pet his head so badly.

The air between them ripples and Ren is a boy again. He is naked and there’s still smudges of blood on his body and Aoba flinches when Ren outstretches an arm.

“I’m sorry,” Ren whispers. “I’m sorry that I broke our promise.”

What’s he supposed to say? That it’s alright? That Ren is forgiven? Because this isn’t something that Aoba can forgive and forget.

“I . . .” Aoba trails off.

“When I caught their scent, I lost my mind,” Ren explains. “My mind went back to the time when my people were burning and dying all around me and I couldn’t shake off the images of _me_ killing _them_ instead. And I did.”

Aoba looks up and sees that Ren’s amber eyes are wet with tears—tears for whom?

“I still wanna be with you, be protected by you and protect you,” Ren continues. “Because you’re the closest thing to family that I’ve got left.”

Aoba sniffles at wipes at his eyes with the back of his hand. “You _are_ family, Ren. And I love you like I would a flesh-and-blood brother. I still think what you did to those hunters is bad but that doesn’t mean that I don’t understand why you did it. You killed them because you cared about your family and other werewolves. And when you lose the people you love, there’s no right way to move on past that. I—I _am_ scared of you but also scared for you. If anyone finds out what you did and how, they’ll take you away from me and I don’t want that to happen.”

Standing up, Aoba offers his hand to Ren and helps him up. “Let’s go home.” Ren nods and changes back into his wolf form (probably because of his lack of clothes).

 

 

-

 

 

**_Five years later_ **

****

“I’m ho—whoa!” Aoba has been home for a grand total of three seconds when he finds himself flattened to the floor.

“Welcome back,” Ren greets him in his deep, comforting voice. Aoba smiles and ruffles his hair.

He has gone away to college to pursue a degree in environmental sciences and he’s back for the summer. The next term will be in last for the bachelor’s program and if all goes well, he should be able to get into a master’s program.

“How’ve you been?” Aoba asks, laughing as he sits up. Ren shuffles off his lap and grins.

“Alright. I wish that I could visit you at college some time though.” His smile falters and Aoba has this strong urge to hug him and tell him that everything is fine until they both feel that way instead of pretending.

Over the years, Ren has grown to be a strong young man (who is noticeably taller than Aoba, he notes with a ping of jealousy). Aoba has never seen Ren work out other than help Aoba with the inventory at Heibon but he has a highly defined musculature and Aoba knows from experience that those muscles aren’t just for show.

He sees that Ren is practically buzzing with energy and it dawns on him that tonight will be a full moon. When Ren was younger, the full moon had little to no effect on the pup. But as the months went on and Ren started to look like a teenager on the outside, he began to act out and go away on the nights when the full moon reigned in the sky.

 

“What’s it like?” Aoba once asked the night after a full moon.

“Like every nerve on my body is on fire and alive,” Ren replied after some thought. “The moon’s energy makes my skin feel electrified and the only way to endure it is if I’m in my wolf form. The wolf in me revels in the full control that he has on full moon nights because during the transformation, I lose the sense of my human self. That’s why I go hide out in the forests for the entire night and come home after the sun has risen. It’s safer that way. And my emotions are heightened as well.”

 

Ren leans in and nuzzles the hollow of Aoba’s neck, making soft pleased sounds. Aoba laughs when Ren’s tongue snakes out and laps at his pulse.

“It tickles!” Aoba laughs.

“You smell so good,” Ren breathes out, hot breaths fanning over the column of Aoba’s throat.

Aoba blushes and pushes Ren away gently. “Where’s Granny?” he asks.

Ren shrugs. “She went out to meet with her friends or something. Told me that there’s doughnut on the kitchen counter just in case you come back before she does.”

Aoba perks up. Store-bought doughnuts has got nothing on Granny’s homemade ones.

As they share the basket of pastries, Aoba tells Ren all about his experience at university. He’s made a few friends there: Noiz the computer science guy who is obsessed with all things technology, Clear the sweetheart who is majoring in marine biology, and Mink the teacher’s assistant for Aoba’s ecology course last term.

“Sounds like you’ve had a lot of fun,” Ren comments. Ren himself might not hear it, but Aoba can pick up the tone of wistfulness in his voice.

“I missed you lots though,” Aoba admits. He covers Ren’s hand on top of the table and offers him a smile. Ren smiles back, a hint of fangs flashing as he does so. “Love you, Ren.”

Ren blushes slightly. “I love you too.”

 

 

-

 

 

Aoba has just gotten out of the bathroom when he hears somewhere tumble in Ren’s room. He rushes over, the worst-case scenario thoughts filling up his mind.

It turns out that Ren has tripped over the corner of the bed frame. Aoba laughs in relief and helps him up.

“I’m fine,” Ren half-growls.

“Okay,” Aoba acquiesces. He takes a step backwards. His cheeks heat up vibrantly as he realises that he is standing only in a towel. He takes a few more steps backwards before he finds himself backed up against a wall.

“Ren?” he asks, hating the obvious tremor in his voice.

“Aoba,” Ren rasps out. When Aoba glances up, he sees that Ren’s eyes are glowing and that his ears are out.

“Something the matter?” he asks. He can smell Ren’s scent all over him, earthy and comforting somehow. Ren buries his nose into the crook of Aoba’s neck and inhales deeply. A wet and warm sensation seeps into the skin of Aoba’s neck and he realises that Ren is licking at a spot.

“You taste so good too,” Ren breathes out. He sounds feverish and overwhelmed.

“What are you doing?” Aoba asks. He shoves at Ren’s shoulders just enough so that they can see eye-to-eye. Faint red is mottling Ren’s cheeks and rapid, shallow breaths are leaving his slackened mouth.

“You really don’t get it, do you?” Ren rasps out with a sigh and a laugh. “That night when you found me, I bit you on the neck. Showing the neck in the werewolf culture means submission and letting someone else bite it means that the two of them share a bond—one forged through emotions. That’s how I managed to transmit my memory of that night by accident. That’s how I can always find you and recognize you regardless of what state I’m in.”

Ren takes in a long, shuddering breath and reveals, “I’ve been in love with you for so long, Aoba. Ever since I was old enough to know what it means to love someone with all my heart, it’s been you. And when wolves mate, it’s for life.”

“B-but—we’re both guys?” Aoba stutters.

Ren shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. The mating bond is instinctual and not always about, ah, procreation. It’s about loving someone for all your life and always being there for them in every possible way. I’ve been my pack’s alpha since the moment my former alpha died and an alpha needs a mate who can support him and nurture him. That’s you, it’s always been you.”

Ren tilts Aoba’s head up and presses their forehead together. The touch soothes Aoba and he finds himself leaning into Ren’s touch. His hand is warm and practically radiates safety and love.

He surprises himself by angling his face so that their lips brush for a brief moment. It’s cute how Ren’s body goes rigid for a second before he regains his control and crowds Aoba up against the wall. Every line and curve on their bodies align and the heat that’s trapped between them is almost unbearable. Aoba moves his lips a bit and Ren catches up quickly. The kiss is strangely familiar and feels so right, almost as if Aoba has been anticipating it all along.

And there is no mistaking the sensation of something solid pressing into Aoba’s thigh.

“Sorry,” Ren rasps. His mouth veers off to Aoba’s jaw and then to his neck. He gives the pulse a light nip and kisses it to soothe it. “Like I said, the full moon intensifies my emotions and I can’t help it when you’re this close to me doing these kinds of things.”

Aoba has to suppress the urge to laugh at Ren’s innocent reaction for he knows that Ren will be offended. “It’s natural. And I don’t mind it.”

Ren pulls back and looks at Aoba, eyes wide with disbelief. “You mean it?”

“Of course I do. I’ve never lied to you and I’m not about to start now.”

Aoba brings their foreheads together and whispers, “I’m grateful that I was the one who found you five years ago. I love you, Ren.”

“I love you too.”

 

 

-

 

 

The next day, Aoba wakes to something warm lying half across his body. It’s Ren and he is muddy and disheveled just like any other morning after a full moon’s night. Chuckling, he rolls away from underneath Ren’s body so he can go fetch a towel.

Except, he can’t do that when his arms are pinned to the mattress above his head and there are knees braced on either side of his thighs to restrict his movement. Ren is wide awake and his nose is skimming along Aoba’s neck and taking in deep slow breaths.

“Morning to you too,” Aoba greets.

“Good morning,” Ren grumbles. It’s early morning and with both of them being healthy young men, there is a slight problem that needs tending to. Ren is still thrumming with energy, at least that’s how Aoba sees him as his hips rock into Aoba’s mindlessly. The slight friction sends a shock of pleasure running up his spine and he gasps loudly before he remembers that the house exactly isn’t that large.

“Ren!” Aoba whisper-shouts. “Granny will hear if we—” the rest of his protest is swallowed up by Ren’s lips as he kisses him with a feverish enthusiasm. Ren’s touches burn up Aoba’s skin and soon, he can’t care less about where he is and the implications it brings about.

“I’ve been waiting for so long,” Ren confesses as he reaches into Aoba’s boxers and takes his erection out. Ren must have fallen asleep in the nude because he goes straight to grasping their cocks together and rutting into his fist.

Aoba hasn’t been with a lot of guys, or had lots of sexual encounters in general to be honest. But this takes the cake because it’s Ren and how _right_ it feels. Their cocks slip and slide against one another with wet sounds and embarrassingly enough, Aoba finds himself nearing the edge all too quickly.

“Ren,” he pants, “I’m gonna . . .”

Ren’s eyes snap open and he takes his hand away. “Not yet,” he demands.

Without further explanation, Ren scoots down and flips Aoba’s body over. Aoba has a vague idea as to what Ren will do and his suspicions are confirms when Ren’s lips ghost over his entrance.

“Wait, wait,” Aoba suddenly comes to his senses. He knee-walks over to his bedside and rifles through a drawer until he finds his target. Blushing, he hands the small bottle of lube and a packet of condom to Ren. “If we’re doing that this is gonna, uhm, make things easier for tha-that.”

Ren nods and Aoba returns to his former position. Even with the anticipation, he can’t help but startle when the tip of Ren’s tongue circles his opening. He does just that, lapping and kissing on the sensitive area until Aoba’s relaxed enough for Ren to poke his tongue inside.

It’s a foreign feeling, Aoba decides. Ren’s tongue wiggles around experimentally and is soon joined by a lube-coated finger. Aoba has to muffle a particularly loud moan when the tip of Ren’s finger grazes a spot inside of him that fires up his nerves. Ren continues to seek out that spot and it doesn’t take long for Aoba to be rocking his hips backward to feel more of it.

“Hurry,” Aoba whines when Ren pushes in a third finger. His tongue is snaking in between his fingers, only heightening Aoba’s pleasure.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Ren replies truthfully.

“I know you won’t,” Aoba reassure him, glancing over his shoulder. “And I trust you that you’ll stop if it ever comes to that.”

Slowly, Ren withdraws his fingers and Aoba rolls over so that they can face each other. He leans down to kiss Aoba again, all tender caresses and pure love as their lips meet.  Aoba pats the bed to find the condom when he does, he tears the package open and rolls it onto Ren’s erection as quickly as he can manage. He then lies back down and hooks his ankles behind Ren’s back and brings their hips flush together.

“I’m not gonna want to wait forever, you know,” he jokes.

“Sorry,” Ren murmurs. He kisses the tip of Aoba’s nose before he lines up his cock and pushes in slowly.

It hurts as it’s been a long while for Aoba. He grits his teeth and when Ren is seated all the way inside, he buries his face into Ren’s shoulder. Ren’s body is trembling but he doesn’t move, not until Aoba raises his head back up and nods for Ren to start moving.

Ren is so attentive and careful, is the thing. Every one of his movements is slow, gentle and unhurried. It’s great for the first few minutes, of course. But as his pleasure nears its peak, Aoba wants—no, needs more. He tries to hint at it by pushing his hips back at a faster tempo than Ren’s but that doesn’t help much. He groans in frustration and squeaks out, “Ren, can you . . . fuck me harder?”

That brings out the desired effect as Ren’s hips stutter as he asks, “Are you sure? You’re not hurting at all?”

Aoba smiles and cups the side of Ren’s face with his hand. “I’m fine, better than fine, really.”

Ren twists his head around to kiss Aoba’s palm before he pulls out all the way and slams back inside. Aoba yelps at the unexpected force and all he can do as Ren pounds into him in earnest is tighten his arms around Ren’s shoulders and muffle his enraptured cries into it.

His hips are numb and he goes to curl his fingers around it when Ren slaps his hand away with a growl. Aoba glares at him reproachfully when Ren thrusts right into that sweet spot.

“Ren,” Aoba whimpers. “I’m so close, I need to— _nnghh.”_ It’s nearly impossible to speak in full sentences when all his sense are overwhelmed with everything that is Ren. Ren’s warm fingers stroke his erection and he can’t hold off for long. He comes harder than he ever has in his life with Ren’s name on his lips and Ren follows not too long after.

The afterglow is blissful. After Ren pulls out, he discards the condom and they sprint into the bathroom. In the bath, they take turns washing each other and no one is to blame when they go for a quick round two as they rinse off the suds and let the tub drain.

By the time they are back in Aoba’s bed, they are happily exhausted and, well, sexed out.

 

 

-

 

 

“I can’t say that surprised,” Granny snorts.

“Eh? Really Granny?” Aoba blurts out. Ren’s fingers tighten around Aoba’s.

“Ren’s always been moping when you’re away at college and it’s not uncommon for orphaned kids to develop strong attachments to their caretakers,” Granny shrugs. To Ren, she adds, “I’m glad that you’ve found happiness in a place that could have caused you so much heartbreak and hardship. Now, is there anything else you wanted to tell me?”

Aoba shakes his head. “Nope.” He looks to Ren and finds him smiling. “We’re all good here.”

Ren smiles back. “Yes. We are.”

**Author's Note:**

> I know that I took _a lot_ of artistic liberty with biology and physiology regarding Ren's body. My reasoning was that since he was the only one left in his werewolf pack, the magic or whatever of the wolf inside of him promoted his growth to be a fitting leader and hence the super-accelerated growth spurt that he went through as the story progressed. Yes, he is like 8-9 in human years but physically and mentally, he _is_ a young man in late teens (17-19). This is why I tagged it underage . . . . Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this fic! Smutty NoiAo coming soon-ish~


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